Reasons Underneath
by raendown
Summary: Iruka would like to kiss Kakashi. But first, he needs to find out why Kakashi wears that mask all the time.


"M-my face?" Kakashi stuttered, pointing to himself. Iruka raised an amused eyebrow.

"Yes, Kakashi, your face. I mean, I get that it's all part of the mystique and you don't show it in public. I get that. What I don't get is…I mean did you think I would never want to see? You were the one to ask me out. What did you think, that I'd never ask?" Iruka could feel the smile on his face and cursed himself inwardly. It was hard to stay serious when the silver nin was being so ridiculously cute.

Just above the mask that was the round-about subject of their discussion, he could see the traces of heat on the older man's face. He watched Kakashi swallow – audibly – then rub the back of his neck in a familiar nervous gesture.

"Maa it's just…I…" he seemed to be fishing around for words.

"Kakashi," Iruka said gently, putting his hand on the other's knee. "I like you. A lot. These past few weeks have been great, and I've had a lot of fun on our dates. I'd really like to kiss you. It's just kind of hard to do that when I can't get to your lips."

Beside him on the couch of the sensei's apartment, Kakashi swallowed again and cleared his throat for good measure.

"It's not…I mean there's nothing…I guess you could see my face…" he trailed off. Despite his words, he sat unmoving for a while after. Iruka waited patiently, rubbing circles with his thumb on the knee he was still touching. Kakashi stared down at the thumb caressing him, almost looking lost in thought, until finally he took a deep breath.

Iruka tried not to look too keen as Kakashi raised a hand to his face and toyed with the edge of fabric resting on the bridge of his nose. He worked a fingertip underneath, his eyes flickering over to Iruka. Then he slowly, deliberately, pulled the material down his face, tucking it under his chin. Then he stared at his companion with wide eyes, almost afraid to _not_ see his reaction.

Iruka blinked and tilted his head.

"I don't understand Kakashi, why do you hide? You're handsome of course, but there's nothing that warrants covering it up. No disfigurement, no beauty mark, I'm almost disappointed." He kept his tone light and teasing to make sure Kakashi understood that he was in no way actually disappointed. The older man blushed and pressed his lips more firmly together.

With a chuckle, Iruka leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to the cheek that had finally been revealed to him. Then he poked him in the side and asked why he was being so quiet. Kakashi turned his head away and spoke to the wall, his voice low.

"I didn't catch that."

Kakashi turned back, but scratched at his nose as he answered, obscuring the movement of his mouth and turning his words in to an unintelligible mutter. Iruka raised both eyebrows.

"I can't understand you with your hand in front of you like that," he chided, reaching out and tenderly catching the offending hand in one of his own. He waited, but instead of speaking again, Kakashi just stared at him in fright, his face slowly turning a brilliant shade of red.

It turned in to a staring contest, Kakashi never losing the blush and Iruka never losing his amusement. It was strange to watch such a confidant, brave shinobi squirm under the eye of someone so far beneath his rank. And all because the younger man could see his face! His perfectly normal, fairly attractive face. Eventually, the older man gave up the contest first to look down at his lap. Iruka stared at the back of his head until finally he heard actual words come out.

"I'm sorry, it's just embarrassing and I don't want you, of all, people, to laugh at me for it," his voice was quiet in a shy, unsure way.

"Why would I laugh at you?" Iruka asked him. Then he grinned, feeling mischievous. "I prefer to make _you_ laugh."

Kakashi raised his head, startled. When he saw Iruka's grin, he smiled a little bit, pressing his lips together again like he was going to try not to laugh just to be difficult. Taking this as a challenge, Iruka shifted the hand that was still on the silver man's knee, dragging it upwards. Then without warning he spread his fingers and began tickling the man's thigh.

The jōnin let out a startled burst of laugh, throwing his head back reflexively and hunching his shoulders. Iruka made as if to smirk in triumph, when his eyes snagged on something that made him stop in his tracks. Kakashi's laughter cut off as he slapped a hand over his mouth, looking mortified. But it was too late. Iruka had already seen.

The famous Copy-Nin had a gap between his two front teeth. It wasn't that big of a gap, but it was immediately noticeable. Knowing Iruka had seen the real reason he wanted to hide, Kakashi looked like he wanted to crawl under the couch and die. Obviously he thought it was a flaw. Iruka, on the other hand, thought that it was absolutely-

"Adorable…" the word came out breathy. Kakashi blinked, giving him a look that questioned his sanity. Iruka felt a smile growing on his face again as he reached out with both hands to try and pry Kakashi's away from his mouth.

"You have a gap-tooth! That's so cute! Oh come on, let me see again, please! I love it!" He couldn't help but babble excitedly, even as his companion glared at him over their hands, still blushing as if his life depended on it. "I'm not laughing am I? I never laughed! Oh please let me see you smile again. I've never seen anything so adorable in my entire life. And I teach children every day."

It took a couple more minutes before he managed to coax Kakashi in to uncovering his face again, but he just sat there with a firmly closed mouth and sulked silently. Iruka tried to tickle him again, but the jōnin was ready for him and fended off all attacks. The younger man avoided teasing because he knew it came too close to feeling like being laughed at.

Eventually, he resorted to the original goal that had started this whole situation.

Placing a hand on the side of the silver man's face, Iruka leaned over and placed his lips directly on Kakashi's, stealing their first kiss. It was gentle and chaste, but lingering. Kakashi hummed into the kiss, pressing back against him happily.

When they pulled apart, there was a heartbeat of stillness, then a shy smile parted Kakashi's lips, and Iruka was treated to the sight of the cutest gap teeth he had ever laid eyes on. His hand was still resting against the other's face, so he rubbed his thumb along the smiling cheek there.

"You have no reason to be embarrassed, Kakashi. Obviously _you_ don't like it, but I happen to find your smile very attractive. Twice as attractive if you let me keep kissing you whenever I feel like it."

Kakashi's grin widened, still looking quite shy.

"Thanks Iruka," he murmured. "I haven't shown anyone my face in a long time. I know people have all sorts of rumors about how I'm either disfigured or god-like. I…didn't want you to be disappointed to find out that…I just look…silly." Iruka frowned.

"You don't look silly. You look handsome. Until you smile, of course, and then the only word for it is _adorable_. I plan to make you smile as much as I can whenever I can get that mask off you now."

"Stop calling me adorable," Kakashi whined. "I'm not a girl."

Iruka made sure the other man was watching him before deliberately dragging his gaze all the way down Kakashi's body, then back up. "Definitely not a girl," he said, and this time his voice was breathy with want. Kakashi's eyes darkened.

True to his word, Iruka made sure Kakashi smiled a lot that night.


End file.
